Sprouting Roses
by Meihi Rei
Summary: It's Ginny's frist year. Her brother has left her, the Griffendors ignore her, and a book that talks is her only friend.
1. Dear Diary

Disclaimer: I, Meihi Rei, hold no claim to any characters or registered trademarks in this story.

Thanks to my sister Riv, for being my editor.

"_Dear Diary,"_ a first year Ginny wrote in a small black book, _"it was nice of Daddy to give you to me just because it's my first year at Hogwarts. I don't think any of the boys got anything special when they started. My brother Ron will be a second year and he already had bunches of adventures! Well, it's no wonder why – he's best friends with Harry Potter. The Harry Potter. I can't believe it! _

_Ron told me that Harry lives with these evil muggles so yesterday night they (Ron, Fred, and George) went to go get him. I've never seen Mum so mad! It was splendid since they landed on the lawn and Mum was up already, sick with worry and all that, and they had a huge row. Daddy came home right as we were sitting down to breakfast. Mum yelled at him for enchanting that car that Ron and them took. _

_That's what Daddy loves – muggle things. Especially plugs and batteries, has a whole collection of them. He'll take them apart, spell the pieces and puts it all back tighter again. That's how he made the car fly. Ron told me that we're gonna fly to school this year instead of the train. The Mum yelled at him. She ruins everything."_

Ginny sighed and leaned on the bed with her elbow. Putting her hands over her head she stretched, knocking over the open bottle of ink.

"No!" Ginny yelled, bolting form her bed. Horror consumed the girl as she watched helplessly as the dark liquid turned everything to its deepest black. It was like a hungry beast, eating everything it could lay its mouth on.

"Ginny?" a female voice asked form the other side of the wood door, "are you alright?"

"Yes, Mum" Ginny responded, shoving the book under her pillow, "I just spilled a bit of ink on my bed"

The door opened revealing Molly, Ginny's mother. The woman sighed and brushed at her flower striped nose. "I wish you wouldn't write on your bed, these things are easy to fix but ink is not cheep. Money doesn't grow on trees you know, dear"

"I know Mum" Ginny responded quickly suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

"You say you know, but I never see any changes form you" Molly sighed and swished her wand at the bed, cleaning up the dark ink stain. "And before you say anything, Gin, know that I'm referring to your brothers and father as well. The Gods know what wasteful trouble they cause!"

Ginny nodded, "Anything else, Mum?"

"No, just recognize that dinner will be ready in the hour and I need help with the table" Molly stated into the air.

"Sure thing Mum" Ginny said, knowing full well that it was expected of her to help her mother, "I'll be down in a tick"

"Very good" she said and departed form the small room. Only when Ginny heard the twelfth stair creak did she let out the breath she had been holding.

"That was close" the red head muttered to her self, turning to fetch her book form under the pillow. Opening the book, the young girl's eyes widened as they gazed upon four words written on the page in a hand not her own –

_Who is Harry Potter?_

Fetching a quill, Ginny dipped it in the still open ink pot. Her hand shaking she scribbled a question of her own –

_Who are you?_

The ink disappeared and an invisible hand answered her _"My name was Tom Riddle. I am a memory preserved forever in this book"_

"_Why?"_ Ginny wrote curiosity and wonder replacing her fear.

"_I love a challenge; school was always too easy for me so I turned to advanced research to make it more interesting"_

"_Did you go Hogwarts?"_ Ginny asked, aloud and on paper, _"Hermione once told me that they where hundreds of wizarding schools. Hogwarts is the biggest one in England and they only one supported by the wizarding world's taxes. She's really smart – top in her class"_

"_Yes I did go to Hogwarts. Is Hermione your sister?"_

"_No, Hermione is one Ron's friends form school. She's muggle born"_

"_And are you muggle born?"_

"_No!"_ the red-head wrote, giggling, _"I'm a Weasely and a pureblood – to the last cell as Hermione says"_

"_A Weasely, aren't you – "_

"_Blood traitors?"_ Ginny cut in, writing quickly, _"some see it that way. Mum told me that insanity runs deeper in our line then most making us eccentric. My great-great-great-great grandfather was in love with muggle things like Daddy and he was striped of all the titles and lands. My grandparents had saved up enough money and bought back the Borrow, but now we're even poorer then before. Mum told me that she could have been really rich, but she loved Daddy more then anything and ran away with him, so she doesn't have any titles although she is form the royal family in Italy."_

The ink had just begun to vanish into the soft white page when Ginny saw Tom's answer, _"You're still royalty, Ginny, and better then most other magical folk. You're above them and should not be dealing with those that are below you."_

"_Whom do you speak of, Tom? The ones you say are below me?" _The girl was eager to know.

"_All of whom the blood in there veins is impure; those who hail muggle or part muggle heritage."_ Tom's invisible hand inscribed.

"_I see Tom, and I think you're right"_ Ginny scribbled on the page, _"I am better then all of them. I am royalty in blood if not in name"_

"Ginny!" her mother's voice carried through the house, "we're all waiting for you to eat!"

"Ok, Mum!" Ginny yelled back, placing the book under her bed, so her brothers wouldn't be able to get to it. It was paranoid, she knew, Tom was her friend and wouldn't talk to her brothers. Also, Ginny reasoned, they wouldn't be smart enough to figure it out in the first place. Smiling brightly, she bounded down the stairs to the table.


	2. What Not To Do

Disclaimer: I, Meihi Rei, hold no claim to any characters or registered trademarks in this story.

Thanks to my sister Riv, for being my editor.

Dinner was loud; Harry coming to stay at the Borrow hadn't changed that fact. Ginny however, ate in silence, wrapped in a swirling whirlwind of her thoughts. _Tom told me that people with tainted blood are below me. Is Harry below me? He lives with muggles, but both his parents where magical – does that make him pure of blood? What is pure of blood?_

"Ginny?" a voice broke into her world of questions and imaginations. Jumping, startled, Ginny's head pivoted around looking for the owner of that rude harsh voice. It was her Mum.

"Yes, Mum?" Ginny asked as sweetly as she could, hiding her displeasure.

"It's time to clean up, dear" Molly said, "Finish quickly and start bringing things into the kitchen"

"Yes Mum" standing up, the girl worked quickly as possible, eager to get back to Tom and ask him the questions bubbling, overflowing, in her mind.

"Ginny dear?" Molly asked, swishing her wand at the sink, "come in here and help me with your father's tea, will you?"

Ginny sighed impatiently, and turned around slowly, shuffling to her mother, "Of course Mum, I'd love to help"

"Such a sweet girl" the elder woman said, "put the water on the stove, then sit down"

"Yes Mum," The redhead replied. As the only girl in the family, she got dotted on by her mother more then her brothers. It was annoying when she wanted to get away to her room, but at least she didn't have to de-gnome the garden all the time! After lifting the heavy pot onto the hook over the flames, Ginny pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Now dear," Molly said, sitting down at the small table, "You are about to go to Hogwarts for the first time"

"Yes Mum, I'm very happy I could attend" Ginny replied, "thank you"

Molly nodded her head in response before continuing, her face grave "Givanra, you have learned a great deal form me, your father, and your other brothers. You must promise me that you will tell no one what you know. None of the stories, none of the family history, none of the potions, and you must not udder a word in the Forgotten Tongues or any of the prayers"

"Why Mum?" Ginny asked, confused. The knowledge in her brain was limited, she knew, compared to what others knew. "I thought that everyone was taught about the ancient history and words"

"Muggle borns like Hermione aren't taught any of what you know. If you show off then people will say mean things about you and our family"

"But why can't I say any of the prayers?" she pressed, "Even Muggle borns have religions"

"Hogwarts is a Christian school, however vaguely, they don't know or teach the old ways" Molly explained patently. She had went through this every time a child was about to enter school. "They also let in Muggle borns. It wouldn't be fair to push the old ways on them"

"Why not? They are wizards too! Most don't know about the People or anything – I asked Hermione once if the People spoke to her since she seemed like an earth conductor, and she had no clue" Ginny exclaimed, although her voice was hushed.

"I agree with you dear but most don't" Molly sighed, "the Purebloods see us at traitors and worse then Muggles, so they never listen to us. It's true they want there children taught the old ways at school, but not the muggle born. The muggle born could care less about the old ways and the People. They see the earth as theirs to do whatever they please-"

"That's why they could learn the old ways! If they knew then they wouldn't see it like that" Ginny cut in, forgetting her self in the indecency of the whole thing. One look at her mothers face and blood rushed to Ginny's face in the famous Wesley blush. "I'm sorry Mum, I didn't mean to yell at you, please forgive me"

Molly sighed, "Remember what I said when you go to school – do not speak of anything you have learned and do not pray openly. Write the prayers on your heart before sleep takes you and the Gods will read them in your dreams"

"Yes Mum" Ginny said, standing up to fix her father's tea, "is there anything else?"

"No dear, give your father his tea them go up and pack" Molly stood up, "we leave for the station early"

"Yes Mum" Ginny answered and carefully got the black tea pot. It was her father's favorite due to the fact it was bought at a muggle shop in London. Turning to another cupboard, Ginny pulled down the plain wooden box that held the powdery tea. Spooning three spoons of the dried black leaves in the pot then adding a half spoonful of spices, the girl swirled the mixture three times counter cloak wise before adding the boiling water.

Molly studied her young daughter. Her fiery red hair caught the dieing sun as she deftly fixed the tea. _Her mind is somewhere else_ she mused, watching her put the dried flowers she knew her father hated in tea. "I'll bring the tea to your father, Ginny, you may leave"

"Thank you Mum" Ginny said, walking out of the kitchen in case her mother changed her mind, as she was known to do. Running up the stairs two at a time, Ginny flew to the top of the house. Throwing open the door, she hopped inside and slammed it shut.

Barely stopping to breathe, Ginny fished under her mattress for her book. She had so many questions to ask Tom. She needed to know why Hogwarts didn't teach the old ways, or why she was so much better then everyone else. Most of all, she needed to know what to do about Harry Potter.

Grapping a quill off the desk, Ginny flipped the book open. _Tom, _she wrote, _why is blood so important? Why does it make me so important? I don't believe that I'm better then all Muggle borns. I mean, look at Harry. Both his parents where wizards but after they got killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he's been living with muggles! He's so silly, when he came to our house his eyes bugged out of his head. It was like he had never seen so many charmed items in his life._

_Ginny._ Tom's message appeared, _I can only take so many questions at a time!_

_Sorry. _Ginny scribbled, _So, why did you say that I was better then everyone the first time I talked to you? You don't even know me!_

_But I trust you _Tom insisted, _I know you wouldn't lie to me_

_No, I never would lie to you Tom, _Ginny agreed, _you're my only friend, right now at least._

_Why don't you have any friends?_

_We live out in the middle f nowhere. There's no one besides my family around. I love my family and all, but they bother me to no end. Mum and Daddy always expect me to be the little angle and never to say anything or do anything. For example - Mum taught me how to take care for a house along with religion and history. Daddy taught the boys flying and fencing._

_You should be thankful for your family, I never had one _Tom wrote back.

_Oh Tom! I'm so sorry! Why didn't you ever have a family? _

_My parents both died when I was very young. I grew up in a muggle orphanage since at that time there where n wizarding ones. I would always ask to stay at Hogwarts in the summer instead of going to that filthy place._

_Did they let you stay?_

_Most times they did, without any complaint. The teachers liked me, all of them, s they where happy to stay and go on shorter vacations._

"Most times" Ginny read aloud as the words faded away slowly. Biting her lip, she dipped her quill and wrote back. _What do you mean by 'most times' Tom? Did they ever not let you stay?_

_In my fifth year, someone was attacking the students with this weird monster that petrified them. Well, the purebloods where safe, only the half-bloods and muggle borns where attacked. One girl even died in the bathroom. Everyone was afraid._

_What did you do?_ Ginny was eager to know

_I turned in the person responsible and the attacks stopped. The head master gave me an award for special services to the school. It was that summer that I created this diary. _He replied.

_To remember?_

_Something like that._


	3. Warnings from Smelly Hats

**Disclaimer:** I, Meihi Rei, hold no claim to any characters or registered trademarks in this story. (And if you were going to sue, don't bother. I'm in high school and the only things I own are this lap top, books, and some clothes)

**Thanks** to my sister Riv, for being my editor and to my one reviewer! I love reviews, so if you are reading this, put some thing (anything! I'm not picky. It doesn't even have to be nice!) for a review. Please and thank you.

_Tom?_ Ginny wrote her handwriting messy with the consent motion of the train.

_Yes?_ Tom's message appeared. His words were as neat as ever in their slightly feminine scrawl.

_What's Hogwarts like?_ Ginny dipped the quill in her ink.

_No one can really say what it's like, Ginny, _Tom wrote, _it's brimming with magic, the stones glitter when you look at it. Also there are ghosts everywhere and the mirrors and paintings all talk. That's the one thing you should know – never say anything out loud because it will spread in a heartbeat. If I had to describe Hogwarts in one word I'd say its home._

The girl rolled her eyes at the book and started to write. _Everyone says its home, Tom, that's nothing new. I guess for Harry it is, he doesn't have a home. I don't know how he put up with all those muggles for all those years. He's so brave and strong and drop dead lovely._

_I lived with muggles for a long time too, _he gently reminded the blabbering girl. Tom knew that he had to win her trust by the time he got to Hogwarts, otherwise everything would fall apart. _And I hated it. The muggles I was with were so filthy! On a good day it looked like they had rolled around in their own mess a few times._

_Did you always think that? Even when you didn't know what you are? _Ginny wanted to know. Her father was so enamored by the people; it was hard not to be curious.

_Yes, I always was repulsed by them and I never knew why until I got my letter. _Tom wrote, _how close are we to Hogwarts?_

_Err… I'll ask _Ginny wrote _Hold on for a bit, Tom._

_Oh, don't worry about it beautiful, I don't really need to know _the words sped across the page.

The message struck Ginny funny. All her life no one had called her beautiful unless it was in jest. _Can… can you see me Tom?_

_Sadly I cannot. I am a book Ginny, no matter that I have a mind of my own._

_I see…_ Ginny sucked on the end of the quill, thinking. Seeing the flash of a camera outside her compartment, Ginny was struck with an idea. _If I put a photograph in the pages, can you see it?_

_I do not know, _Tom's words were slow in appearing as if he was thinking about the answer carefully, _I would think it would be possible._

_I see… _Ginny repeated, _would you like to see a picture of me, Tom? I would like to see a picture of you._

_I'll try and find a way, Ginny, I promise you. _The words spread across the page and touched Ginny for some reason.

_We're here Tom! We're at Hogwarts! _The inkpot tipped and more black fluid drowned the pages once again. "Darn" Ginny muttered and tossed closed inkpot, quill, and book in to the deep dark voids of pockets she had in her school robes.

Inside the privacy of his own world, Tom felt himself smile. Salazar's great work would be completed before the year was up.

Ginny fell into step with other nervous first years all around. Standing on her tiptoes, the Weasley girl craned her neck, trying to see her brother. Spinning all around her eyes darted form one end of the gold and red table to the other; Fred, Gorge, and Percy where all there. She even saw Hermione chatting with some other second year. Harry and Ron, however, where nowhere to be found.

Ginny sighed and looked at the front of the huge hall once again. It wasn't like she cared that Ron wasn't here, she had always been closer to the twins helping them pull off their tricks on Ron and Percy. The old hag called McGonagall brought out a simple wooden stool and a back rag in the shape of a hat. Unfurling a scroll the old woman's voice called over the talkative crowds. Name after name of students were called and sent to their new house tables.

"Weasley, Givanra" McGonagall called, only a few students remained now.

Tentatively, Ginny made her way to the stool and the black, torn wool thing slipped over her eyes.

"Yet another Weasley?" The hat said in her ear, "and like your brothers the twins too…"

"Mum always said we might have well been triplets" Ginny managed, the smell of the thing was making her sick.

"Well, I would put you into Syltherin, but now that your family is no longer noble, Grifferndor would be best – don't you agree?"

"We're still royalty if not on paper then in blood!" Ginny retorted, grimacing "just put me in with the lions and let's be done with it!"

"Very well, but before you go – have some free advise"

"What?"

"Be wary of Tom Riddle - I put him in Syltherin for a reason" the hat said then yelled "GRIFFENDOR" silencing any of Ginny's questions.

Ginny slid off the stool and headed to the gaudy red and gold draped table

Ginny lay in her bed, gazing at the crimson sky above her. The hat's words still rang in her head – be wary of Tom Riddle…I put him into Syltherin… Ginny sighed. The old thing was going senile. Why should she have any reason to tread carefully around her new and only friend? He understood her, and loved her. Tom would never do anything bad like her brothers. Sitting up, the girl pulled out the small black book.

_Tom?_ She wrote, _are you there?_

_I'm always here, Ginny, _Tom replied, _what house are you in?_

_Griffendor, with the rest of the family _Ginny paused, wondering if this was the right time… _what house where you in?_

_Syltherin. _

That single word made everything real. What if the hat was right and Tom was to be feared? All her brothers every told her was Slytherins where mean and selfish gits.

_The hat said I should be in Slytherin, because my family wasn't royalty anymore he couldn't. He said the same was true for my twin brothers. Why did the hat put you in Syltherin?_

_I don't know_

_Why not?_

_The hat never gave me an answer, I never asked. _Tom's words appeared on the page. Ginny had the feeling that if he could have shrugged, he would have.

_That's weird, I thought the hat told every one why they where put in each house…_

_And I heard the hat could see into the future and see how you turn out after you leave Hogwarts and basis the decision on that. _Tom countered.

_Really? Never herd that one _Ginny wrote back, rolling her eyes at the rapidly fading text. _Are there any other baits you would like to dangle in front of this gullible first years' eyes, Tom?_

_So young, and already so jaded _was the reply in the now familiar hand _I'm not sure I'm ready for this new side of you Gin dearest._

Ginny rolled her eyes at the book again before dipping her quill in the ink pot on the bedside table. _I'm rolling my eyes at you, just so you know._

_Keep rolling them and one day they will roll right out of your head!_

_Good night Tom._

_Going so soon?_

_I have my first classes tomorrow!_

_What is it?_

_Potions with Professor Snape. Everyone says he's horribly mean to first year Griffendors._

_Who do you have the classes with?_

_Ravenclaw, I think…I'd have to cheek my timetable._

_I thought they gave those to you tomorrow at breakfast_

_They gave them to the first years right after sorting this year_

_That's odd_

_I reckon they wanted to give us as much time as we needed to get ready_

_How could you get ready when you don't know what to expect in the first place?_

_Who knows? I'm going to sleep now Tom and there's nothing you can do about it_

_Nothing?_

_Nothing. Good night Tom_

_Good night Ginny_


	4. A Hidden Treasure

**Disclaimer:** I, Meihi Rei, hold no claim to any characters or registered trademarks in this story. (And if you were going to sue, don't bother. I'm in high school and the only things I own are this lap top, books, and some clothes)

**Thanks** to my sister Riv, for being my editor and to my one reviewer! I love reviews, so if you are reading this, put some thing (anything! I'm not picky. It doesn't even have to be nice!) for a review. Please and thank you.

_Tom, I am so sorry I haven't written in forever. You must have been so bored! _Ginny wrote, her letters franticly scrawled in dark blue across the milky white page Her small hand trembled with fear, what if he had forgotten her? Or thought that she wasn't worthy of him? The reasonable side told her that she saw being silly. After all, she always agreed with Tom on everything so there was no reason for him to dislike her. Still, her heart pounded like the tides in her ears, her breath caught in her throat, every fiber waiting, waiting for some sign that he had not forsaken her. Please let him still like me, please gods, please! He was the only person in this whole school that cared about her, although others said otherwise.

_Oh, don't worry about it, Gin blossom; I have a lot to read. _Tom's words appeared slowly. Ginny let out her breath and leaned back in her hard-backed chair. The side of her that spoke reason told her that she had been silly from the beginning. Tom would never forget her, she was all he had.

_Read? Tom, I hate to be the one to tell you this but you're a book_

_I still have things to read_

_How?_

_At first I never wanted to put my memory into this book, I wanted to make it omsinent. _

_How? _The ginger haired girl wanted to know. This was different knowledge one that she might not get in school. She wanted to know it all, every thing that the school and other had to show her.

_Thirsty are we? Maybe you should have been a Ravenclaw, hmmm?_

Ginny paused for a spilt second before putting her freshly dipped quill to paper again _I almost was_

_How is that?_

_I could have asked. George told me that if you ask for a house the hat puts you in without another thought. He told me to ask for Gryffindor, but it turned out I didn't have to. _

_I see, that why you asked why I was placed in Syltherin_

_Yes, now how do you make a paper omsinent?_

_Pushy, pushy. Well, there's this potion that you brew and put the parchment or book into, when you write you have to use this special ink and drying sand. The more space the more memory you'll have. Each one of these pages can hold about two hundred books, give or take. Slowly, I used a coping charm to transfer all the knowledge my text books had into one text. Then as I took classes I put the notes in here as well. After a few months I got bored. Then I thought – why not use the library as well? There are tons of books, as you well know, and it would help me on my exams. I worked hard at coping, staying up late to get in one book a day. I really never read any of them, I was so foced on my goal. One of my professors noticed that I had a new book every day and thought I loved to read. She had a big private library of magical and muggle books. It was reading those that I first heard about a book that had a memory in it. Over my fifth and sixth year I worked on this book again. It was done the summer before I went into my seventh year. It became my only friend. I would talk to myself for hours, then read for hours more. That year was my happiest if my loneliest year at Hogwarts._

Hope as hot as a forge's fire blazed in the small girl's chest. Tom not only understood her he was exactly like her, if only one million times more cleaver. _I would love to see all of those books. How do I read them? _Ginny blushed at her rudeness, _I mean, may I read them?_

_Of course you can! _Tom replied, this was going better then he planed. With the girl under his spell, he was at last strong enough to use her body for a short time. _Are you able to get away in an undisturbed room for a few hours?_

_I guess…we have free time until the feast tonight. Why do you ask?_

_The book has a bit of a mind of it's own due to all the magic I drenched it in. My memory is renting space in a way; I can't let you read the books with out the book's consent._

_Well? How do I get that?_

_By coming into the book, of course. Your body will look as if it is sleeping and your mind will be with me. _Tom explained, sensible. He could feel her desire for knowledge coming off of her in waves. With her family so poor, books for enjoyment where rare. He knew the Ginny would take the bait and fall for him.

Tom was her friend, Ginny reasoned, he wouldn't do anything to help her. Besides, it would be rude not to visit him, he might not want to be around her anymore. _Alright, _she wrote at last, _when I'm set I'll put a smudge on the page._

_I'll wait for you _Tom's words scrawled across the page. Inside the darkness of the pages, his face was split in two with a joyful grin. She was coming to him! His sweet, naive student would be the key to his rebirth. Not only that, but she could teach him the secrets deined to him by the crule impurity of his blood. Last time around, mutiny was a dire problem among the nobles among his ranks. Every day he had feared one would find out the truth of his parentage and strike against him. Against the goal of pure blood, pure power. The stories, the songs, even the names of the gods was important for his next reign of power. No one, not even the great Professor Dumbledore would see it coming. This Ginny Weasely was the right no perfect tool for his needs. Just perfect.

Ginny yawn noisily in the packed common room. It was raining and no one wished to go outside after a long day of classes. Stretching like a cat, she stood up and rubbed her eyes. Sleepily, she picked up her bag from the dustless floor and slipped the small leather book into it. Her faced was noticed by not one of the students around her. "I am invisible" she said to her self, not one head turned at the sound of her small voice. Gliding up the stairs, silent tears crawled from her eyes.

The red head reached her bed at the far war and slithered under her warm bed clothes. Laying down, Ginny realized she was exhausted by the long day, right now a nap would be plenty welcome. Summoning the last of her vigor she smeared black ink on the first page of the book.

Moments later, her body opened its eyes and smirked wickedly, "I'm back!"


	5. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Disclaimer:** I, Meihi Rei, hold no claim to any characters or registered trademarks in this story. (And if you were going to sue, don't bother. I'm in high school and the only things I own are this lap top, books, and some clothes)

**Thanks** to my sister Riv, for being my editor and to my one reviewer! I love reviews, so if you are reading this, put some thing that passes as a review (something equals anything! I'm truly not picky. It doesn't even have to be nice! Feel free to flame away). Please and thank you.

* * *

Ginny placed her tentative hands on the open book. Beneath her rough palms the book heated until it was hot enough to burn copper pots. Blackness flooded her mind as tendrils of the glowing warmth snaked up her arms and into her veins. Ink oozed from the pages, staining her hands, and then she was in.

The red head opened her eyes to a dimly lit room, a flickering fire and floating candles the sun and stars in this heavenly room. Shelves of books stretched to the ceiling, and even more were piled in neat stacks on an unadorned oak desk. Her breath caught as she turned slowly, staring wide-eyed at everything.

Tom, seeing the whole thing, could not suppress a chuckle. The sound startled the fiery red head out of her shock as she spun towards the noise. A boy, about seventeen years stood before her. He had wavy chocolate brown hair framing a heart shaped face, and dark eyes that shone with an eerie light under thick eyebrows. Furthermore, the boy was tall, towering over her own meager four feet and eleven inches.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice creaking.

He smiled and gave a large bow a cat-like grace, "I am Tom Riddle, Ginny dear"

"Oh," Ginny ran her fingers through her hair, "I guess… I mean, you don't look like I thought you would"

Tom mimicked her movement, "Well neither do you"

The girl frowned slightly, "How did you think I would look?"

"Hmmm… short and a bit round, with ordinary brown eyes and hair, maybe a pug nose" Tom strode to the fire, and picked up a fancy cut glass bottle. He poured the amber liquid into two glasses and offered one to his guest, "but I like this better. You look like Queen Elizabeth as a young maiden – thin and willowy like a dancer, beautiful vermillion hair spilling from your head"

"Well, I thought you would have blond hair and blue eyes" Ginny giggled and sipped from the glass Tom had provided. The liquor smelled like the brandy her father used to give her sips of before her mum found out and stopped buying it. It tasted a bit different, but in a good way.

"Why?" Tom asked her, "I'm glad you like the brandy, few people do"

"A girl in my dorm had this test from Witch Weekly that she was giving everyone one night. You had to answer all of these questions then cast a simple charm and you would find out what your perfect guy would look like" she said, "My father used to have a of brandy every night at dinner. I was the youngest so I sat next to him. He would always give me sips."

"And yours was blond hair and blue eyes" Tom caught on, "Does your father still let you have sips?"

Ginny shock her head sadly, "He got demoted so there was less money…well, that's what Mum said but my brother George told me that Mum didn't like me getting sips of brandy so she refused to buy it anymore"

"I see" Tom turned to the simple desk, "I found some books on omniscience papers, since you seemed so interested in it"

"Really?"

* * *

Tom Riddle opened Ginny's eyes and smiled. The girl was as trusting as a lamb, even drinking the brandy! Once she had started to look at the books, Tom faded into the background and into her body. He looked down at the young girl's body he had possessed for the moment. Nothing special, but maybe it would be. At the moment she was too thin for anything save bones to jut out from her body. In a couple of years, puberty would take care of everything. Tom grinned at the thought – in a couple years, all of the wizarding world would be brought under his command. With a pureblood as attractive and cunning as Ginny would be at his side, the filthy muggle world would crumble and fall.

Sliding out of the bed, Tom glanced at a mirror for the first time. Sure, he had seen her in the book, but the lighting there was dim and more her perception of what she looked like then what she really did. The girly was clearly out of her skull for thinking she was that mousey girl he had seen in the book. Bright, vibrant, vermillion hair framed warm cinnamon eyes set in a heart shaped face a bit more rounded off then his own. If the pasty skin was more golden, and her lips a deeper color she would have been perfection, priestess among the acolytes Spell bound to the image in the silver disk on the wall, Tom caressed Ginny's face, trying to see if it was real. It was.

"See? I've been trying to tell you you're beautiful for weeks!" The mirror said, "Now here you are, stroking your face like it was the first time you've seen it!"

"I haven't" Tom replied softly, forgetting who he was masquerading as.

"Nonsense, and rubbish, "The mirror said stubbornly, "you just think that because you are finally seeing the beauty that you are. Now, go to the feast and have a good time."

Tom grinned impishly, "don't worry, I will have loads of fun"

* * *

The students were just beginning to amble down to the Great Hall when Tom exited the common room. Quietly, he made his way down twisting corridors to the girl's toilet.

"Who's there?" a girl's voice said. It sounded watery and annoying, reminding Tom of the mudblood that died the last time. A ghost swooped down from the ceiling. "I asked you a question!"

It was the girl, and Tom couldn't help grinning, "It's just me you filthy mudblood"

"Oh you are so horrible!" the ghost wailed. The sinks all started to run and the toilets bubbled in the stalls. The whinny spirit zoomed around the room before splashing into the last toilet. The water stopped.

"How annoying! There's a ghost here." Tom said a loud, "she'll go blabbing off to the next mortal she sees unless…"

After clearing his head of thoughts by shaking it, Tom walked over to the broken sink. His calloused fingers almost missed the little snake carved into the soft copper pipe. _It's still there, after all these years they still have not found it_ Tom thought to him self. "Open up" he hissed in parsletouge – the forgotten langue of the snakes.

The sinks groaned as the stones shifted and changed. Dim light illuminated a stair case spiraling down into blackness. The grin on Tom's face widened, he was home!

Water dripped from the ceiling onto rapidly eroding limestone. Stone snakes slithered on the slimy walls. He walked the familiar halls that twisted and turned like worms in rich soil until Tom came upon a large empty room.

"Come my beauty, child of Syltherin" Tom hissed, "your master comes to feed you"


End file.
